Have you been watching the 2018 Corona Bali Protected? It’s okay if you haven’t, because time zones, Cloudbreak, the occasional dreariness of contest surfing, etc, have made it a bit of a chore. But wait, there’s something you might want to see. This paddle battle between Jordy Smith, he of the narrowest nipples, and Gabriel Medina, he of the razor burn.
It happened in the fourth round of the third heat at Keramas. Look how they splash their passion all over each other, kicking and scratching and biting and grunting! And according to Jordy’s post-heat interview, there was a bit of a “Burkhart, you bastard!” moment. “…stuck that air, straight into a paddle battle,” Smith remembered from underneath his giant hat and sunglasses. “This is what really fired me up: we were paddling back out and he pulled my leg once. I was like ‘okay, that’s an accident.’ Then he pulled my arm twice and I thought, ‘okay, that’s deliberate.’ And then I just said, ‘put ’em up, boy. Let’s go.”
Jordy post heat from r/surfing
You can watch the full battle (from which Jordy emerges victorious) on the heat replay over at WSL.com. Skip ahead to the 26-minute mark and watch the watery fireworks!
